Zukaang Week 2010
by furubafan74
Summary: A story I wrote for the prompts of Zukaang Week 2010.  It's only about 15 months late.  Contains boy/boy kissing, hints at more occurring. Hint of girl/girl.  Don't like, don't read.  If you're going to ship/gay bash then please refrain from reviewing.
1. Secret Admirer

Zukaang Week

Secret Admirer

Zuko shook his shaggy hair out of his eyes and snuck another peek at Aang. The grey eyed junior was laughing as he walked with Sokka and Katara, his friends and almost constant companions. 'Jeez,' he thought, 'would it kill them to let Aang out of their sight for five minutes?' He had promised himself that he would tell the younger boy about his feelings today, but there was no way he was doing so in front of the boy's friends. Zuko ignored the feeling deep down inside, the one that felt suspiciously like the relief he felt when his father went on business trips. He wasn't sure, for one thing, whether he was more relieved at the opportunity to delay the pain of the rejection he was almost certain he would hear, or because not approaching Aang meant that he didn't have to tell his homophobic father that he was gay yet.

"Why don't you just say something to him instead of just staring at him like a lovesick puppy, Sparky?" Zuko sighed. Great. Toph, the one person who always managed to catch him making goo-goo eyes at Aang. To try to avoid answering her question, he tried to think of a time when she hadn't. He failed.

"I am not staring at him, Toph." There was no point in asking which 'he' she referred to. They both knew it was Aang. Just like they both knew he **had** been staring. Toph's only reply was a derisive snort. But at least she would drop the subject. For now.

"If you really want to talk to Twinkletoes alone, all you have to do is ask him." Apparently she wasn't willing to drop the subject today. "I'm sure he would jump at the chance to talk to you alone." Zuko glared at her, which only made her smirk widen.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Only that you're even stupider than I thought, Sparky."


	2. Duty

Zukaang Week

Duty

"Father's gone on another business trip, Zuzu." Naturally Azula had caught him slipping up the stairs hoping to avoid Ozai. At least this was the one thing she wouldn't give him a hard time over. She knew damn well why he avoided their father whenever possible. The scar on his face was a permanent reminder of why Zuko should stay out of Ozai's way as much as he could.

"Thanks for telling me, Zula." He continued up the stairs. Her friends, Ty Lee and Mai, were over, and he would just as soon avoid them, thank you very much. Ty Lee was a hyperactive airhead, and Mai's sighs and whining grated on his nerves like nails being scraped down a blackboard. Not to mention the fact that she looked at him the way he looked at Aang.

"Zuko! You should join us, we were just going to watch Twilight again!" Ugh. That movie was an abomination, and watching it (again) with his sister and friends would be even worse then just being around them.

"Thanks for the offer, Ty Lee, but I have a lot of homework to do. Maybe some other time." He kept forgetting that sarcasm was completely lost on her. Crap. Now she would keep pestering him every time they were going to watch that stupid movie. 'Someday I will actually learn to think before I say anything to them.' He made it the rest of the way up the stairs without being bothered again. Which was a good thing considering that there was a ghost in his room.

He saw the ghost as soon as he walked in. It was short, maybe 5' 4". It had waist length black hair, some kind of gold thing in its hair, and it was wearing a red dress. No sooner had he noticed all of that when it turned around, and Zuko almost had a heart attack. The ghost was…him. Sort of. The ghost looked like him, but it couldn't be him. "Hello, Zuko." The ghost smiled at him, and that was when Zuko fainted.

When he woke up he was on his bed and the ghost was bending over him with a concerned expression. The ghost scowled. "I am **not **a ghost, Zuko. I am…what did Aang call it? An 'astral projection.' That's it."

"What are you doing in my room?" He sat up, trying to figure out how he'd gotten from the door to his bed.

"Oh, Spirits. Please tell me _I_ was not **that **dense when I was eighteen." The gho-_astral projection_ rolled his eyes and looked annoyed. "I'm here to see you. I would think that would be obvious. I need to speak with you about our-_your_ feelings for Aang."

"What about them?"

"You are almost exactly like me, Zuko. Which makes sense when you consider we're the same person, just from alternate universes. Which means you are most likely madly in love with Aang, and just don't have the spine to say anything to him. Stop me if I'm wrong."

"I don't lack the spine to tell him!"

"Really? So why aren't you two all over each other yet? _Your_ Aang is probably just like _my _Aang. Which means he's probably madly in love with you too, and constantly horny. You two would be doing it every five minutes if you'd told him how you feel about him." Zuko was bright red with embarrassment at the other man's words. 'How does he know I didn't tell him and got rejected?' he wondered. His visitor sighed. "I can hear your thoughts, Zuko." Zuko promptly turned an even brighter shade of red. "And I know that you didn't get rejected because I know Aang. We've been together almost ten years now. He wouldn't reject you unless he thought you were just toying with him, and you're not a good enough liar to get away with that."

"If you're so happy with Aang, then why are you here?" Zuko couldn't help but notice had looked sad as he mentioned how long he'd been with Aang.

"Because I can't put off getting married and fulfilling my _duty_ any longer." The word 'duty' was almost spit out. "Since I am the Fire Lord, I have to produce at least one child that's a fire bender with a high-born Fire Nation woman. Aang has to have children too, since he's the only Air Nomad left. So now I have to leave my soul mate and marry that whiny, emotionless _blob,_ Mai. And if _that_ wasn't bad enough, I have to watch _him _marry that bitch Katara!" The Fire Lord was yelling by this point.

"Ssh! Azula and her friends are right downstairs. They'll hear you!" He wasn't how he would explain this. A gho-_astral projection_ that looked like an older version of him in a dress with long hair? He'd never hear the end of it. He got a condescending look for his trouble.

"They can't hear me, Zuko. Only you can." The older man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You have an excellent point, though. If I don't remain calm, I'm going to end up losing this connection, and Aang put a lot of effort into this."

"I still don't understand why you're here. How does whether or not I've approached Aang have anything to do with you?"

"It has to do with me because Aang blames himself for the fact that he and I cannot be openly together. He thinks that if he had not run away from his responsibilities as Avatar a hundred years ago, I would have been born a girl, and we could have gotten married. He's gotten it into his tattooed skull that I was born a guy to punish him for abandoning his people to their deaths just before the war began. The Avatar's soul mate has never been the same gender as the Avatar. Ever. Not once in 1000 incarnations. He told me the other day, after I told him that I could not put marriage off any longer, about a theory our friend Sokka had, about their being billions of alternate universes, one for every choice ever made, every thing that could be different. He said that he hoped that that was true, that there was one of them where we could be together openly, and for the rest of our lives. A universe where _duty_ isn't ripping us apart and forcing us to be with people we don't love. People we'll never be able to truly love, or be happy with." Zuko could see the pain written across ever feature of his visitor's face, and wished that there was someway he could ease that pain. "There is, actually. You can tell Aang how you feel about him and you two can be happy together. The way _my_ Aang and I would be if we could. If I could tell him that there is at least one universe where we're happy and together, it would make him feel better, would ease his pain a little. Which would make me feel better. It would make the rest of our lives, our separation, easier because we would know that, somewhere, we're happy."

The Fire Lord was fading away now. "Wait! I need to know how to approach Aang!" But there was no response. He was alone in his room.


	3. Storms

Zukaang Week

Storms

It had been over a week since his father had left on his latest business trip. Since he had seen a ghost in his room. A ghost that had basically told him to grow a pair and confess his feelings for Aang. Since that night, he hadn't seen the ghost, astral projection, whatever it wanted to be called. Or any sign of it. He also hadn't done anything about his crush on Aang. His father was due home sometime around suppertime, and since it was Friday, Zuko hoped to be packed and safely at his Uncle's house for the weekend before his father returned. The business trip had not gone well, which meant he would take out his anger on Zuko. If Zuko was still around when he got home, that was. So naturally the ghost would choose today to return.

"I don't have time to talk to you today. Can you come back some other time?" He began packing everything he would need for a weekend as quick as he could. He had to get to his uncle's, and fast. Father's plane could be early. Or traffic could be unusually light. Any number of factors could work against Zuko and get his father home sooner than expected. It would be faster just to have a bag packed and ready to go, except for the fact that if Ozai found out, he would beat Zuko so badly he would have difficultly walking for a week. Or longer.

"It takes an incredible amount of effort to cross this amount of time and space. You do realize that, right?"

"You mentioned something to that effect. You also mentioned that you can read my thoughts, and if that's true than you would know why I can't talk to you. Can't I meet you at my uncle's or something?"

"No. You are not at your uncle's now, and Aang is sending me straight to _you._ I have to meet you wherever your body currently is."

"Can you at least get to the reason you're here today and leave so that I can finish packing and get out of here before my dad gets home and beats the living shit out of me because his business trip went badly?"

"As I was leaving, you asked for advice to approach Aang. I would have come sooner to answer your question but my last visit lasted so long that Aang was completely drained and too exhausted to even get out of bed for five days. Katara, of course, decided I had poisoned him or something equally stupid." As he was talking, the Fire Lord crossed to the closet and began helping Zuko to pack. "Today was the first day Aang felt up to trying another astral projection. I can't stay long. I don't know what to tell about how to approach Aang. The only thing I can think to tell you is how I approached him. I don't know how much help it'll be, but I'll try.

"We were at the Western Air Temple. I had only joined Aang's group a few days earlier, and was still trying to fit in. I was Aang's Firebending Master, but that day, there was a thunderstorm, and because of the way the temple was built it was far too wet to even attempt training." As the Fire Lord spoke, Zuko realized that his room was fading, and images were forming around him, images of a series of buildings that looked like inverted pagodas of varying sizes. It was pouring down rain so hard that Zuko could barely see beyond the closest buildings.

A teenager with shaggy hair, wearing a knee length black shirt with red sleeves, black pants and black shoes was walking down a hallway away from him. A moment later he was looking out through the other teen's eyes, and realized that this was the Fire Lord, when he was the a little younger then Zuko.

He walked down the hallway, trying to think of something to do that wouldn't piss off that Waterbender bitch. What was her name? Kat-something. So far he was coming up pretty much blank. The Av-_Aang,_ he reminded himself forcefully, was the only one who trusted him. And the Waterbender had made it perfectly clear that she did _not_ want him anywhere near Aang, unless it was to teach him Firebending. Even then she still insisted on "observing" them. Normally he wouldn't really care, but she obviously had a lot of influence on Aang, and Zuko didn't doubt that she would be able-and willing-to convince Aang to kick him out of the group.

Zuko could not, would not, take that risk. He had acknowledged months ago that he had feelings for Aang. No. He wasn't being honest with himself. He loved Aang. Had realized that fact the moment Azula's lightning slammed into the boy's back, and then ripped out of his foot on it's way to the ground. But by then it was too late. His betrayal had passed the point of no return.

He had to be near Aang. Even though every moment was torture for him. Even though every time Aang looked at the Waterbender, his love for her, his blatant adoration of her made Zuko want to vomit. And then burn the bitch to an unrecognizable crisp. Zuko's heart felt like it was being ripped out every time the little Airbender's face fell when she ignored him. When she treated him like a little kid. He wanted to hold Aang, to tell him he deserved better than that bitch. That she didn't deserve the love he had for her. But he didn't.

As he was walking past Aang's room, he froze. Was Aang…crying? What was wrong? The door was slightly ajar so he leaned over to peek in. What he saw ripped his heart into tiny bleeding pieces. Aang was curled up in the fetal position, sobbing uncontrollably. The former prince could no longer stop himself from what he'd wanted to do for _days_. He glanced around to make sure the Waterbender-or anyone who would tell her for that matter-was around, then slipped into Aang's room.

Quickly crossing the room, he sat down on Aang's cot and pulled the smaller boy into his arms. Grey eyes huge, Aang looked up at him. "Wh-what are you doing here, Zuko?" Zuko swallowed hard.

"I was, um, walking past when I thought I heard you crying. I looked in to see if it was you, and when it was I-I decided to try and comfort you." Zuko gently traced one finger along Aang's tattoos, then pulled him even closer. "Why are you crying?"

"I told Katara that I love her." Zuko flinched. "Sh-she told me that I was like a little brother to her, a really good friend. She said that she just couldn't help thinking of me as a little kid." Aang clutched Zuko's shirt in a death grip and buried his face in his Zuko's chest. "She said that she was sorry, but she liked _older_ men. Like Haru." 'She's an even bigger bitch than I thought. Spirits! She couldn't have ripped out and then stomped on Aang's heart any worse if that was her intention,' Zuko thought, disgusted.

"You deserve better than that, Aang. Much better. You deserve someone who doesn't think of you as a kid, or as family. I know I made some serious mistakes, and I know I don't deserve for someone as special as you, especially not after the crystal catacombs, but if you give me a chance to prove I've changed, I'll try to make you happy." Aang stared at him for a moment, then jerked out of his arms.

"I can't believe you would say something like that, Zuko! I thought we were friends." Aang tore out of the room, leaving Zuko feeling about two inches tall. 'Damn it! Now he's going to kick me out of the group, and I won't get to see him anymore. All because I had to speak up right then.'

After about five minutes passed, Aang returned. Zuko was still sitting on the cot and didn't notice him coming back.

"Hi, Zuko." Zuko's head snapped up, and he gazed hungrily at Aang, trying to memorize every feature.

"I'll go pack. I'll be out of the temple by suppertime. You can make up whatever reason you want to explain why I left." Zuko's voice was flat and emotionless, even though his heart felt like it had been trampled by a herd of kimono rhinos.

"Why would you leave?"

"Because you were upset, and I just made it worse. I'm sorry. I-I should have kept my…feelings…for you to myself. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I thought, Zuko, that you were just playing a joke on me. Then I realized that you aren't the type to make a joke like that, and even if you were, you wouldn't risk my kicking you out of the group. That's why I came back. To apologize for what I said. Also to find out if you really meant what you said, or if you were just trying to make me feel better."

Aang was very close to him at the point, close enough that Zuko could see some tiny tears still clinging to his eyelashes. The former prince smiled at him and leaned forward slightly, pressing a chaste kiss to the other male's lips.

"Of course I meant it, Aang. I meant every last word of it." Aang grinned broadly, and mashed his lips roughly against Zuko's. And as the thunderstorm continued to rage outside the temple, Zuko proved to Aang just how much he meant it.

When the images faded, leaving Zuko back in his room, he realized his face was bright red, and that the Fire Lord was smirking at him.

"Your bag is all packed, Zuko. I'd advise you hurry if you want to get to your uncle's before your father gets home." Zuko nodded numbly, still reeling from what he had seen. When he glanced at the clock he was stunned to realize that less than five minutes had passed since he came up to his room.

"That took way more than five minutes! That's how long you waited for him to come back. How'd you do that?"

"I quite honestly have no idea how that works. I don't even know how Aang is able to send me here to talk to you, or how you actually _saw_ what I was telling you as it occurred. Now go. I have to get back or that bitch will skin me alive."

"If Katara broke his heart that badly why is he marrying her now?"

The Fire Lord sighed.

"She changed her mind about liking older men about five minutes after the war ended and decided she wanted to be with Aang. Once he was a major hero, she didn't mind that he was younger, that he was like family to her, any of it. It's disgusting. Aang told her that he needed time to get the world back in balance, to focus on his Avatar duties. He put her off like that for over nine years. Sokka finally told him to either marry his little sister or stop leading her on." The Fire Lord narrowed his eyes at Zuko. "Swear to me that you'll tell Aang how you feel. I'm not going to be able to visit you again, and I want to be able to tell Aang that this wasn't a lot of wasted effort."

"I swear."

"Farewell, Zuko. I hope you and your Aang are as happy as my Aang and I were."


	4. Liquor

Zukaang Week

Liquor

"Just go over to his house and TALK to him, Sparky! The worst that can happen is he says no."

"He can laugh hysterically and then say no."

"He will not laugh at you Sparky. You're just saying that to try and get out of this. Now will you talk to him on your own or do I need to drag you over there? I _will_ enlist Iroh."

"Fine. You win. I'll go talk to him…tomorrow."

"You'll talk to him today so stop making excuses to avoid manning up."

"I am not!"

"You are too. Now are you going to go to Twinkletoes' house and tell him how you feel or do I have to get Iroh? IROH! Help me drag your nephew over to Twinkletoes' house so that they'll hook up!" Iroh's rich laughter drifted out of the kitchen where he was making tea.

"TOPH! Uncle, ignore her!"

"Jeez, Sparky. I'm surprised you didn't break any glass with that screech."

"Who's 'Twinkletoes' and where does he/she live?"

"Uncle!"

"Twinkletoes is a guy Sparky has a crush on. He lives over on South Chinook Road."

"Let me finish my tea and I'll go start the car."

"UNCLE!" Zuko's voice actually cracked that time, causing Toph to almost fall off the bed laughing. "I am perfectly capable of handling my own love life!"

"_Riiiiight_. That's why you've been panting after Twinkletoes for three years without ever once saying anything to him." Zuko knew that his face just about looked like a tomato now. 'Wonderful. First a ghost tries to interfere in my relationship then my best friend drags my uncle into it,' he thought irritably.

"Uncle, would you drive Toph home? I'll walk over to Aang's house."

"Oh no you don't, Sparky! If we don't go with you, you'll wander around for about an hour and then come back without actually talking to him. Then you'll claim he wasn't home." Zuko glared at her, but then sighed in defeat. Toph knew him way too well.

"Fine. But you two have to stay in the car."

Fifteen minutes later Iroh's car pulled up in front of 112 South Chinook Road. Zuko swallowed hard and then climbed out of the car. This was it. With two witnesses, there was no way he could put it off any longer. He walked up to the plain brown door, and was about to knock when he heard shouting. He couldn't tell exactly what was being said, but the older voice sounded angry, and the younger voice sounded scared. Zuko leaned closer to the door and could barely make out what was being said.

"Dad, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to burn your supper, I swear!" Aang sounded close to tears.

"The hell you didn't! You stupid useless faggot, you have no sense of respect for your betters! I'll just have to teach you some then!"

"Dad, please! It was an accident! It won't happen again. Honest!"

"Damn right it won't. Not after I'm done with you."

Zuko couldn't listen to anymore. He tried the knob, relieved when it was unlocked. He opened the door as quietly as he could and snuck towards the voices. What he saw enraged him even more than what he had heard. Aang was pressed against the wall, obviously terrified. His father lurched towards him, bottle of vodka in hand. Aang flinched, and Zuko didn't stop to think. He lunged forward and punched the older man as hard as he could in the eye. The drunk fell hard and glared blearily at him.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?"

"Who I am is none of your fucking business, and I'm here to rescue your son." Zuko hoped that his hair either covered his scar or that the man was too drunk to remember what he looked like in the morning. Aang was staring at him with huge eyes, confused. 'I wonder if he even knows who I am,' he thought. 'Well, if he doesn't, we'll definitely have a lot to talk about.'

"C'mon, Aang. I'm getting you out of here."

"Okay." Aang didn't pull away when Zuko grabbed his hand. Zuko decided to take that as a good thing.

As they walked quickly to his uncles car, he could see the questions in both of their faces. Toph must have been pestering Iroh for details, since without her glasses, she was pretty much blind. He sighed, but didn't let go of Aang's hand. It felt good to hold it for one thing. For another, Aang had an absolute death grip on it. Zuko wouldn't have been able to extract his hand if he wanted to.

"Toph, would you mind riding in the front seat?"

"Sure, Sparky. Hi, Twinkletoes."

"Hi, Toph."

"Would you drop me off at my house, Iroh?"

"Of course, Toph."

"So, Sparky, how'd you get Twinkletoes to agree to go home with you so fast? You weren't in that house for more than two minutes." Zuko glanced at Aang, who shook his head quickly.

"Why? You want some pointers for when you finally get up the nerve to talk to Sokka?

"What? No! Of course not! What gave you that idea?" Toph blushed, and Zuko smirked. Turn around was fair play. By this time they were pulling up in front of Toph's house. She shot of the car like a bullet and then poked her head back inside. "Thanks for the ride, Iroh. And, Sparky? If you won't tell me, I'll just have to find out from Twinkletoes."

As they pulled away, Zuko realized with a horrible feeling of dread that his uncle had not said a single word since agreeing to drop Toph off at her home. This was not good. Normally, his uncle would be pestering him-and Aang-with endless questions. Most of the rest of the trip was passed in complete silence. Finally, about a block away from home, Iroh could apparently restrain himself no longer.

"What exactly happened in that house, my nephew?"

"My-my dad was drunk, sir. And I accidentally burnt his supper, so he got really angry." Aang's voice trailed off, and Zuko squeezed his hand.

"He was going to beat him, Uncle. I couldn't just leave him there."

Iroh smiled warmly at Aang in the rearview mirror as they pulled into the driveway. "You're welcome to stay at my house as long and often as you want, Aang." Aang smiled weakly.

"Thank you, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir, Aang. Just Iroh will do. Now come on inside. Would you like some tea?"

"That would be wonderful, si-Iroh."


	5. Motive

Zukaang Week

Motive

"Why were you coming over to my house?" Aang's voice was soft, almost hesitant. Zuko gazed at him, wondering how he should answer.

"I…wanted to talk to you." There was no way he was going to mention that Toph and Iroh had all but dragged him over there.

"About what?" Aang was still holding his hand as they sat in Zuko's room. Now his voice was even softer. Zuko remembered what that ghost shown him the day before. He wondered how Aang would react if he told him he loved him. He knew that if Aang didn't believe him, or didn't feel the same way, there was a good chance he would go back home to his father. He couldn't let that happen. What Aang was going through would only get ten times worse if he went home now. But Zuko had to answer, and he didn't want to lie to Aang.

"I…I wanted to talk to you about, about how I feel about you. I-I love you, Aang. I have for, well I don't know when exactly I fell in love with you, but I know it's been awhile. I should have told you, but, well, I guess I was afraid that you would reject me. I mean, I'm still afraid that you'll reject me, but, um, yeah." He couldn't mention the ghost, but he also couldn't say something like 'both of us have been abused by our fathers, so we have a lot in common,' either. "I'm blowing this, aren't I?" 'I should have thought about what I was going to say in the car,' he thought, biting his lip and glancing nervously at Aang.

"How could you love me? You've never said two words to me."

"Well, I-I…There's a lot of reasons I could love you."

"Like what?"

"Like your smile for one thing. Or the fact that you teach water aerobics at Windy Acres Nursing Home. There's the fact that you visit your 92 year old uncle at that nursing home at least three times a week. And the fact that every time you have a day off from school you volunteer at the soup kitchen. There's also the fact despite being abused by your father, you're still a genuinely happy person. You have the brightest laugh, the most beautiful eyes, lips that I can't stop thinking about how much I want to kiss them, and the most wonderful hair I've ever seen. You're one of the kindest, most giving people I have ever met in my life. You're trusting, you're hopeful and just seeing you in school makes getting out of bed in the morning worthwhile. You make me feel like everything that's dysfunctional in my family is bearable, like I can deal with it. Before I met you, the only thing that kept me from giving up, from ending it all, was my uncle. I knew it would hurt him, and I wouldn't put him through that. But I was getting close to the point where I would. Then, I saw you. At first I hated you. You were so happy, so carefree. You were a new student, but you fit in almost instantly. I was always on the outside looking in. Your first day, you ended up on the inside. After a few days, when I got to school, I would look for you. I wanted to see you shoved to the outside. Ostracized. At first. Then, Toph started telling me more about you. She was already one of your friends. I didn't want to listen at first. I _wanted_ to hate you. To vilify you. Toph wouldn't put up with that. You started to grow on me. By October, when I looked for you, I wanted you to still be accepted, to still be happy. It started to make _me_ happy. It started to pull me away from the edge. I didn't feel like I could actually end it all. You did that for me, Aang. Just by being you. How could I not fall in love with you?" Zuko blinked. He hadn't meant to tell him all of that. Aang was just staring at him.

"You really mean that, Zuko?" Zuko nodded. "You hated me? You didn't know a thing about me! How could you _hate_ me?" Aang looked like he was going to cry.

"I was jealous, Aang. I thought you didn't have a care in the world, that your life was perfect. My life was so horrible, and yours seemed so… wonderful. The fact that you were a new student, so quickly accepted only made it worse. That…that was shortly after my dad burned me. I had never been accepted, and turning up at school with a scar covering a quarter of my face only made me more of an exile. I've never made friends easily and you make them so easily…I wanted to _be _you, but I knew I never would be. It was easier to hate you than to try to be your friend, to try to get what you had. I…I'm sorry. It was unfair of me to judge you like that." 'And I definitely shouldn't have told you.'

"You were _jealous_ of me? Really?" Zuko nodded again. "Katara told me all these things about you. She said that you were a jerk, that you had a short temper, that you were selfish. She said that you got your scar in a fight over a girl who didn't want to be with you. I wanted to talk to you, but she always said that I shouldn't, that you would probably hit me or something. That's why I was so confused when you showed up at my house. Katara always told me that you were this horrible person. Then you saved me. At first when the door opened, I thought that it was her." He smiled at Zuko. "I'm glad it wasn't. I'm glad it was you."


	6. Scars

Zukaang Week

Scars

"You said your dad burned you. Is that you got your scar?"

"Yeah. I don't really remember what exactly he used. I just remember waking up in the hospital two days later with third degree burns. My uncle was there. He said that my dad had been charged, but a that a judge dismissed the charges. He donates a lot of money to political campaigns." Zuko's voice was bitter. "It's how he gets away with so much. Permanently disfiguring his only son, possibly murdering his wife and his father…. He buys judges. The sheriff. Local legislators who give his company massive grants. Grants that smaller companies could put to better use. Most of the grants go towards executive bonuses. Not that you'll ever read that in a newspaper. Dad pretty owns those too. At the very least the head honchos." Both boys were silent for a long moment as they lay on Zuko's bed.

"Good night, boys. Don't stay up too late. Aang, what would you like for breakfast?" Iroh poked his head into the room, smiling warmly.

"Um, whatever is easiest for you, si-Iroh."

"Alright then. Sleep well."

"Yes, si-Iroh. I will. Good night."

"Good night, Uncle."

"Good night, Zuko." Iroh closed the door and walked down the hallway to his own bedroom, humming to himself. Aang was silent a moment longer.

"My dad gave me scars, too. He doesn't have enough money to bribe officials, so he kept himself out of trouble by making sure that the marks he left weren't easily visible." Aang sat up and looked at Zuko. "Do you want to see them?"

"Would you be comfortable showing me?"

"I guess so. I mean, if we start dating, you're going to see them at some point, right?" He was silent for a moment. "I've never showed anyone. I've always kept them hidden. Not even Uncle Gyatso has seen them. But…I want you to see them." Aang hesitated a moment longer, then pulled his shirt off over his head. Zuko sucked in a breath. There were scars running up and down Aang's slender back. Zuko ran his fingers lightly along some of the worst of them.

"How did he give you these?"

"His belt. If you hadn't come in when you had, he probably would have used it on me again. It doesn't always leave scars, though. Only the worst beatings do."

"This must have been going on for years for you to have that many scars." Aang nodded.

"Before Uncle Gyatso had to go into the nursing home I would spend as much time as possible there to avoid my dad. After he broke his hip, I had nowhere to go. That was when the beatings started to get really bad."

Zuko sat up and then pulled Aang into his arms. "That's why I stay with Uncle Iroh sometimes. To avoid my dad when I know he's going to be in a bad mood."

"You're eighteen, right?" Zuko nodded. "Why don't you just move in with your uncle full time instead of going home to your dad?" Zuko was caught off guard by Aang's question. Why didn't he? He was legally an adult now.

"Dad always said that I couldn't. That as long as I was in high school I had to live with him. He said that he would have Uncle arrested for 'custodial interference.'" As he said this, Zuko realized that was just something his father had made up to keep his favorite punching bag living at home. He leaned back against the pillows, pulling Aang with him. Aang twisted around so that he was lying on his side, facing Zuko. "You're right, though. When he's at work on Monday, I'll go pack whatever I need and bring it over here. Uncle Iroh's been trying to get me to move in for years now." Zuko studied Aang for a long moment. "Uncle meant it when he said you could stay here as long as you wanted to, Aang." Aang smiled at him.

"I know. Now." Smiling gently at him, Zuko tipped the younger male's head back slightly and kissed him.

"I love you, Aang. I know I already told you that, but I don't think I'll ever get tired of telling you."

"I love you too, Zuko. And I hope you don't get tired of telling me, because I don't think that I'll ever get tired of hearing it…or of telling you in return." Just then the front door slammed open and both boys jerked away to the opposite sides of the bed, worried that Aang's father had found them. Or that Ozai had come to his brother's home to find his son.

"Uncle Iroh? Are you still awake?" Azula's voice drifted up the stairs. "Uncle?"

"That's my sister, Azula. I'm going to see what she wants. Stay here." As Zuko stepped into the hallway he heard his uncle's door open. Reaching the banister he looked over the railing as his uncle padded quietly downstairs. Zuko was horrified by what he saw. Azula's delicate features were streaked with tears and blood. The left side of her face was starting to swell up. As soon as Iroh reached the bottom of the stairs Azula threw herself into his arms and started to sob anew. This was so out of character for his sister that for a moment Zuko couldn't really process what he was seeing. Iroh comforted Azula the same way he comforted Zuko, and Zuko realized what Iroh had realized the instant he had set eyes on Azula: Ozai had transferred his wrath to her.

Zuko quickly grabbed the first aid kit his uncle kept in the hallway closet. Aang joined in the hallway. He had put his shirt back on, and he looked unsure of himself. "What's wrong?" Aang asked softly.

"My dad beat Azula. I don't know why. Do you know how to make tea?" Aang nodded. "Okay. Would you make some while I take this to Uncle?"

"Sure. Where does your uncle keep his tea?"

"The cupboard labeled 'Tea.' You can't miss it. Chamomile tea would be good." Zuko kissed him quickly and then grabbed his hand. He led him down the stairs, then pointed out the kitchen. Zuko hurried into the living room to see how he could help his uncle and sister. When he arrived he heard Azula telling Iroh why Ozai beat her.

"Father caught me and Ty Lee kissing. He wasn't supposed to be home until almost midnight, so we thought it was safe. We've been dating for about three months now, but this is the first time we did anything…like that at my house. We always did it at Ty Lee's house. Her parents don't pay enough attention to her to care if she's straight or gay." Azula fell silent. Iroh looked up and noticed that Zuko had the first aid kit.

"Thank you, Zuko. Would you make some tea for us, please?" Zuko smiled.

"Aang already is. I'll go help him." Zuko headed to the kitchen where he found Aang staring at the tea cabinet in shock.

"I've never seen so much tea in one place outside of a store. I used to think Uncle Gyatso had a lot of tea, but his stash pales in comparison to this!" Zuko snickered as he filled Iroh's favorite teapot.

"Uncle is addicted to tea, he just won't admit it. The chamomile is right in front on the first shelf."

"Sorry if I was taking too long. I wasn't expecting quite that much tea." Aang's eyes were glued to his toes. Zuko walked over to give the younger male a hug, then kissed the top of his head.

"You don't have to apologize, Aang. Uncle sent me in here to make tea anyway. I think he wants to talk to Azula alone. Maybe she'll open up a bit more about what Dad did to her if I'm not in the room." He smiled at Aang wickedly. Nuzzling him, Zuko whispered in his ear, "I don't think Uncle would mind all that much if we went upstairs and made out for a while, hmmm?" The younger boy blushed bright red and squeaked. Zuko laughed softly. "I'm just teasing you, love. Although we should definitely consider that as an option later." The tea kettle whistled and Zuko reluctantly let go of Aang to go shut it off and pour the water into the teapot. When the tea was ready he gave some cups to Aang to carry and headed into the living room where his uncle was just finishing tending to Azula's wounds.

"Here's the tea, Uncle. We made chamomile."

"Aren't you one of the kids from school? Always hanging around with Katara Wang and Toph Bei Fong? What are you doing here? I've never seen you with Zuzu before." Azula's tone was suspicious.

"He's my boyfriend, Azula, and he's here because he's moving in with me and Uncle." He glanced at Aang as he said this, trying to gauge his reaction. Aang was staring fixedly at the carpet and refused to meet Zuko's eyes when he squeezed his hand. Zuko gnawed on his lip, realizing he might just have blown it completely with him by just assuming that Aang would want to move in. "Uncle, would you excuse us, please?"

"Certainly, my nephew." Iroh's eyes were filled with understanding. Zuko tugged Aang's hand and led him upstairs.

"Aang, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just assumed that you'd want to move in with us. I should have talked it over with you before just blurting that out." Aang still wouldn't meet his eyes. "Please, Aang. Look at me." Still nothing. "Damn it. I finally get up the nerve to tell you how I feel, then I blow it less than two hours later." Zuko sat down heavily on the bed, feeling tears burn his eyes. No. He wouldn't cry. He had no one to blame but himself for losing Aang, and self pity never did anyone any good. "Please forgive me." That was to the ghost Zuko had failed, as well as Aang. Zuko didn't realize he'd spoken the last words out loud until Aang sat down next to him.

"It's okay, Zuko. It's just, everything's been happening so fast between us, that when you said that I just froze up. I mean, I love but I'm not ready for…that." Aang blushed again. Zuko couldn't help but notice how cute Aang was when he blushed.

"Not ready for what, Aang? I don't know what you mean."

"Sex." He said the word so quietly that Zuko had a hard time hearing what he said.

"Oh. What did I say that made you think that we were going to have sex before you were ready?"

"In the kitchen you said we should make out, then you told your sister I was moving in with you…" His darling's voice trailed off. Zuko held him close and stroked his soft hair.

"I was trying to make you feel better, love. You looked so scared when you were apologizing for not having the tea ready. I wanted to make you smile, not feel obligated to do something you weren't ready for. If I ever say or do anything to make you feel like that again, I want you to tell me, OK?" Aang buried his face in Zuko's chest and nodded, then yawned. "It's getting late. Would you be comfortable sleeping in the same bed as me, Aang? If not, there should be a sleeping bag around here I can sleep in."

"That's OK, Zuko. I'll be fine." Aang's smile was sleepy. Still holding tightly to the smaller boy, Zuko shifted their position so that they were stretched out full length on his bed. Zuko trailed his fingers lightly over Aang's stomach.

"Tell me if you want me to stop, Aang. We won't go any farther than you're ready for, I promise."

"OK, Zuko." Aang sifted slightly closer to him.


	7. Warmth

Zukaang Week

Warmth

(A/N: This chapter is from Aang's POV.)

Aang lay in bed beside his boyfriend. His boyfriend. Just thinking the words sent shivers of pleasure through Aang. He had loved Zuko for years, just had never quite had the nerve to tell the older boy that. It turned out that Zuko felt the same way. That he had felt the same way for a while now. It also turned that Katara had been completely wrong about Zuko. He was not a jerk. Well, not to Aang anyway. And he hadn't gotten his scar in a fight over a girl. Or over anyone else for that matter. He had gotten his scar because _his_ father was an abusive bastard, too. The main difference was that Ozai was a **rich **abusive bastard. And possibly a murderer. Which, Aang had to admit, scared him a little. And pissed him off more than a little. How could someone like Ozai still be free? He belonged in a tiny little cell, eating bologna sandwiches, stale bread and mushy vegetables for the rest of his life.

Right then, Zuko was lightly running his fingers over Aang's upper body. Which, quite frankly, was making it rather hard to think. It was also making Aang feel warm all over. He sighed and snuggled even closer to Zuko, eyelids drooping over grey eyes. Aang drifted off to sleep cocooned in a feeling of warmth, security, and love that he hadn't felt since his mother had been killed by a drunk driver.

"My nephew? Aang? Are you two awake yet? Breakfast is almost ready." The words intruded on Aang's pleasant dream, a dream in which his mother was alive, his father wasn't an abusive homophobic drunk, Uncle Gyatso wasn't in a nursing home, and Zuko was his boyfriend. As Aang came farther awake he realized that he was in a strange bed. He was also in someone's arms. A _male_ someone's arms. If his father caught him in bed with another guy…. Aang jerked bolt upright. Where was he? Who was he with? He gazed around, eyes wide with fright as he struggled to clear out the sleep fog from his mind and _remember._

"Aang? What's wrong, love? Did you have a nightmare?" The voice was warm with concern, and sounded familiar. Aang twisted around to look. Zuko. The fog finally cleared from his mind and Aang remembered the previous night. His father had been going to beat him again. Zuko had shown up out of nowhere and rescued him. The golden eyed senior had then told him he loved him, and his uncle was letting Aang stay with them. Right now he was staring at Aang with concern. Aang smiled brightly at him.

"I'm fine, Zuko. I was just…a little disorientated waking up. That's all." He placed a hand on Zuko's chest and leaned over to kiss him. Kissing Zuko was even better than it had been the night before. Especially when Zuko wrapped his arms around Aang's waist and deepened the kiss. He pulled Aang forward unto his lap and explored the inside of his mouth with his tongue. His right arm tightened around Aang's slender waist pulling him even closer while his left hand slipped under Aang's shirt.

"Boys! Breakfast is ready!" Iroh's voice drifted up the stairs causing the pair the pull apart. "Boys? Are you coming down?" Zuko stared at Aang, slightly flushed. He gave him one last quick kiss.

"We'd better get downstairs. Uncle usually uses that tone when he's been calling upstairs for a while." Taking his hand, he tugged Aang gently off the bed. They held hands the whole way downstairs.

"So, Zuzu, how was it finally losing your virginity? Did you or Watanabe top?" Azula seemed to be doing much better. The swelling was definitely down, and the bruises didn't seem like they were going to end up all that dark. Of course she could be wearing makeup to hide them.

"While Zuko and I slept together, Azula, it's none of your business beyond that. What happens in our bedroom, as long as we're both consenting, stays between us." Iroh and Zuko both suppressed snickers. Azula just stared at him with her eyebrows raised for a long moment, then she smiled slightly and nodded briefly. Aang realized that he'd passed some sort of test in the girl's mind. 'I wonder what would have happened if I failed her test?' he thought.

"Well, that answers **that** question. Watanabe definitely topped." Aang looked at Zuko to see what his reaction to his sister's words were. He was scowling. He quite frankly hoped that when he and Zuko _were_ intimate that Zuko would top. At least the first time. Judging by Zuko's reaction, he felt the same. Aang had known since he was twelve that he was gay, but he didn't have the foggiest idea how to go about having sex. The only adult he really trusted to have that conversation with was his uncle, and Aang was _not_ having that conversation in a nursing home. His father's drunken attempt at "The Talk" had been confusing at best. It had also been all about having sex with **girls**. Aang was pretty sure that it would be different with boys, he just wasn't sure _how_ different it would be. Iroh might be able to help, but Aang just didn't know him well enough to bring up the subject. He could always hope that Iroh would broach the subject, but who knew how long that could take? And if there was one thing making out with Zuko had taught him, it was that Aang was far closer to being ready for sex than he had thought. He wasn't sure how to tell Zuko, though.

"I think all three of you should go to the police and report the abuse you've been suffering. Today." Iroh's words jerked Aang out of his increasingly dirty thoughts. Azula's eyes flashed to him questioningly. Why did she _think_ he was moving in with Zuko? What other reason, besides abuse or neglect of some sort, would justify a seventeen year old high school junior moving in with his eighteen year old boyfriend of less than twenty-four hours? True, he was technically moving in with Iroh as his legal guardian, but still. "I can't guarantee that you, Zuko and Azula, will get anywhere due to my brother's money and influence, but having the reports on file will help if Ozai decides to claim I 'kidnapped' you two or some such nonsense once he realizes you aren't coming home. Aang, you should definitely have better luck. Also, having a report of abuse on file will prevent your father from being able to force you to return to his home." Azula squirmed uncomfortably.

"You can't honestly be thinking of moving back in him, Zula! It will only get worse, you're smart enough to realize that."

"Maybe it was just a one time thing. Maybe-"

"That's utter bullshit and you know it, Azula. You just don't want to admit it." Zuko was angry, and Aang knew exactly why. He loved his little sister dearly, and didn't want to see her get hurt. Azula glared at him.

"Who are you to try and tell me how to live my life, Zuzu?" Zuko opened his mouth to reply but Aang beat him to it.

"He's telling you 'how to live your life,' Azula, because he's your big brother and he loves you. He doesn't want to see you go through years of abuse at the hands of your father. And he's right. It will only escalate. If he beat you because he's a homophobe and you're gay, then he'll keep right on beating you until you either escape, or are dead. What happened to you last night is only the beginning, Azula. If you move in with your uncle _now_, then you can prevent that before you have permanent scars. Zuko and I weren't that lucky. You can be. If you're as smart as everyone says you are you'll realize that, and you'll go to the police station with Zuko and I later on." Azula stared for a long moment at him and then nodded. Aang turned to Zuko.

"After we're done at the police station, I want you to meet my Uncle Gyatso. I think he'd really like you."

"I'd like that, too, Aang." He heard Azula mutter something that sounded like 'Watanabe definitely tops,' but decided to ignore it.

Filing the reports took hours. Aang was getting worried that visiting hours at Windy Acres Nursing Home would be over by the time all three of them were finished with all the paper work, photos, questions, and yet more paper work. Iroh had been given the papers he would need to have when he filed for emergency guardianship on Monday when the courts were open for business. In the meantime, Detective Brown assured them that the abuse reports would be enough for Aang, Zuko, and Azula to stay with him without their fathers being able to forcibly take them back home. They had already decided Iroh would drop Aang and Zuko off at the nursing home and take Azula home. Zuko had promised to call when they were ready to come home.

"Uncle Gyatso? I want you to meet someone." Aang tugged Zuko's hand and led him to his uncle's wheelchair. "This is my boyfriend, Zuko. I'm kinda…living with him now. At his uncle's house."

"So you're finally getting away from that bastard, Aang? I've always regretted the fact that I couldn't take you in permanently myself, but with my income and my health, he would have won back custody in an instant."

"I know, Uncle. But you provided the next best thing, and I always knew that you would do more if you could." Aang hugged him tightly. Uncle Gyatso was the sweetest, gentlest person Aang had ever known. He'd always felt a little guilty that he couldn't find a way out of his father's house sooner. Gyatso beamed at Zuko.

"So, you're the handsome young fellow my nephew's been telling me about for a few years now. You're even better looking in person." Zuko blushed bright red and glanced at Aang, who looked sheepish.

"I've never been able to keep a secret from him. Once he figured out I was interested in someone he didn't rest until I told him everything I knew about you. I didn't tell him what Katara said, though. I figured that was hearsay, and since it turned out to be false anyway…" Aang let his voice trail off. He had known that Uncle Gyatso would like Zuko. He was thrilled to find that Zuko genuinely liked Gyatso as well. Uncle seemed extra thrilled to have a new person to tell all his bad jokes to. Zuko even seemed to like them. Aang couldn't be happier.

"Hi, Aang. Visiting hours are over now, I'm afraid. But we'll see you on Monday for water aerobics, I hope?"

"Of course, Song. Wild horses couldn't keep me away." Aang beamed at his Uncle's favorite nurse. "Come on, Zuko. We'd better go. We'll see you again soon, Uncle Gyatso." Aang gave his beloved a tight hug and kissed his cheek. Zuko tried to give him an awkward handshake but got pulled into a hug instead.

"Uncle Gyatso's stronger then he looks, huh, Zuko?" Zuko just smiled at him and slipped his arm around Aang's waist.

"I hope Aang lets me visit you again soon, Gyatso."

"Oh, he will. I know my nephew. He'll drag you along at least once a week. Bring your uncle next time. I want to meet the man responsible for taking care of my beloved nephew. Oh, and you can call me Uncle Gyatso if you'd like."

"Will do, Uncle Gyatso." As they were walking out the front door, Zuko turned to Aang. "I'm going to hazard a rough guess here and say that Gyatso is from your mother's side of the family?"

"He's her uncle. I knew he'd like you." Zuko had called Iroh on their way out of the building so now they just had to wait for him to show up. Aang rested his head on Zuko's shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you, too."


End file.
